"Rejoice!: A Retrospective of Avtar Gill, the Cincinnati Hat Man" opened Friday at the Thunder-Sky Gallery with remarks from City Councilman Chris Seelbach and County Commissioner Todd Portune.
I always think about Avtar whenever there is an event downtown, it doesn't seem right not seeing Avtar with the latest current event displayed on a homemade banner rubber banned to his hat. I've always thought that Avtar understood twitter and facebook before they were invented because what are those social media apps if not digital manifestations of Avtars hats?
Everyone had their own stories to tell and I have a couple. I still remember the first time I saw Avtar, I was walking off Fountain Square and the sun was shining through the skywalk. I glanced up and this character was walking through with that hat that I wouldn't understand until later. Plus there were these two antenna type things waving around his head with stars on them.
Wow, I thought, I'm not in Kansas anymore.
I'm kind of embarrassed to admit I saw Avtar so often that I took him for granted and stopped taking pictures. He wasn't a novelty anymore. Not for me at least.

Todd Portune telling us about the five stones that Avtar had given him over the years. Humorous and moving. Why stones? A mystery but Commissioner Portune felt it was because they were solid and had permanence.

"Some girls told me that there's an Indian girl who talks about me on the internet. Is that you?" Avtar as told to Maureen.

Maureen recounting her memories of Avtar to a news crew.

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The last fish fry of the year for us and always the best. What I found interesting this year is that Bridgetown, although it was still #1, wasn't head and shoulders above the other like it has been in the past. The church fish fries have been upping their game over the last couple years. Bridgetown doesn't use Shadeau Bread like they used to, they've switched to Servatti, but the quality hasn't suffered at all. And don't forget, split the sandwich, its a generous helping.

And of course you can't go the Bridgetown Finer meats without visiting Jenny's Cookies and the ending the trip with a wine taste. Its a whole evening in one stop.

I saw this guy running around and wanted to get his picture because he looked like such a character. And it turned out he was. George, a firefighter for 33 years retired and turned his chili hobby into a business. He's been busy too, in addition to selling chili all over Cincinnati he began selling his sauces in Las Vegas after he traveled to the World Chili Championship held there last year.
You can find more information on his Cincinnati based venture on his website Chili Rocks.

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With the political backdrop of the Central Parkway bike lane raging at 801 Plum St, Saturday some supports gathered to ride what will be (hopefully) the protected bike path.

In a Streetsblog post Millennials Willing to Relocate for Better Transportation Options Angie Smith writes, "Young people want to live in cities that give them a variety of transportation options and make it easy to get around without a car."

Our tone-deaf and relentlessly ill-equipped "Accidental Tourist" of a mayor keeps trying to paint this as a urban core vs the "neighborhoods" issue but its not. Downtown Cincinnati is not competing with Price Hill for residents. Downtown Cincinnati is competing with downtown Chicago and downtown Indy and Columbus. Walking or biking to a 5/3rd job is a far different experience from 7th St than it is Glenway Ave.

Which brings us to the Central Parkway bikeway and the mayors "bull in a China shop" method of politics and David Mann's "compromise". Randy Simes of UrbanCincy put it best,

"...the group pushing for a modern 21st century city also seems to be the only one of the two(groups) who understands how the democratic process and civic engagement works, and is actively participating in shaping the city's future.
If the other side wants to get more involved, they should definitely do so. Rigorous debates are healthy, but they should be conducted in a public manner that is equal to both sides. I don't understand why David Mann felt the need to undermine that process when the supporters played by the rules.
What is the message David Mann is sending to all those people who participated in the public process when he undermines the product that came from that process?
David Mann has skillfully painted his own party members into a corner on this issue. I don't know what that deserves, but I suspect he feels proud of his crafty political maneuvers. The reality, however, is that this was not a "compromise" as he and he alone defined, but rather is pandering of the lowest variety.
No one should feel good about this "compromise". We should feel disgusted about the way in which business in now being conducted at City Hall."

Urban goats!

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The results from the Five Points Alley Five Points Alley Community Visioning Session were presented by the students from UC's Metrolab this past Saturday. I don't think any of the results were ground shaking or surprised anyone. I was more interested in what they thought of their findings but there were no conclusions drawn from the results. But its a start and Walnut Hills has community engagement and energy which is most important moving forward.
Plans are afoot to turn the Sunday Beer Garden into a weekend event with more family friendly programing on Saturday.
I hadn't heard of the Metrolab before but the concept is intriguing. Students are out in the real world with the neighborhood as their laboratory. With the Five Points Alley as their focus they developed a modular "lemonade stand" and showed it off after the presentation. It's a simple idea and an elegant solution to define a space for retail. The box pops open with a canopy for shade and a flat floor to separate a serving area from the general area.

Also announced are plans for Angst Coffee shop, directly across the alley and with its front door on Gilbert Ave. along with plans for a pub in the old bathhouse close by on Taft.

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Yes! after all the anticipation Halfcut is finally open for brewsness. Halfcut is taking a different approach to the bar concept. They originally intended to fill growlers through a walkup window, but they've expanded that and hit upon a "deli" style concept. Instead of having a crush at the bar, patrons line up, have an order taken then move down the bar to check out. It does make for a more intimate experience than the cattle calls you experience at some bars. Halfcut has also done away with the traditional tap handles not wanting people to get caught up on the artwork. I'm absolutely guilty of that, if I'm at a loss I always fall for cool tap handle. I'm sure with this system I'll try more beers than I normally would have.
Jack Heekin told me the first nigh already exceeded expectations and if they continue at that pace they'll need more cooler space than they currently have.
So whether you just want a pint or as many growlers as you can carry, Halfcut plans to have a beer just for you.

if you need help visualizing where your beer came from Halfcut has a simple and elegant infographic to help you out.

AJ, Jack and Tom

These guys are awesome! They grabbed me a bomber of Flower Power right before the keg blew.

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